A gas turbine engine typically includes a fan section, a compressor section, a combustor section, and a turbine section. Air entering the compressor section is compressed and delivered into the combustion section where it is mixed with fuel and ignited to generate a high-speed exhaust gas flow. The high-speed exhaust gas flow expands through the turbine section to drive the compressor and the fan section.
Compressor and turbine sections include stages of rotating airfoils and stationary vanes. Radially inboard and outboard platforms and seals contain gas flow through the airfoils and vanes. Seals between rotating and static parts include edges that ride and abut static honeycomb elements. Moreover, cooling airflow is often directed through the static vanes to inner surfaces to provide an air pressure and/or flow that further contain the flow of hot gases between platforms of the airfoils and vanes. The structures required to define sealing interfaces and cooling air passages can be costly and complicate assembly.
Accordingly, it is desirable to design and develop structures that reduce cost and simplify assembly while containing hot gas flow and defining desired cooling airflow passages.